A Mississipi church that challenged coronavirus restrictions has burnt down in a fire that police are investigating as arson.
First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs was burnt to the ground on Wednesday, only a month after it filed a lawsuit against the city over coronavirus social distancing measures.
According to a number of reports, investigators found a note written in graffiti in the church parking lot that read: “Bet you stay home now you hypokrites.”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves spoke out about the incident at a press conference on Thursday, condemning the fire and stating it made him “heartbroken” and “furious.”
“This is not who we are as a people,” Gov Reeves said. “This is not who we are as a state.”
The Church’s Pastor, Jerry Waldrop, said he and other church leaders in the area don’t know who might have set the fire or left the graffiti.
“No enemies that we know of,” Mr Waldrop said. “We don’t know anyone that we even think could be capable of doing something like this.”
Major Kelly McMillen of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department told The New York Timesthat the police had found a can of white spray paint and a flashlight at the scene, but that no suspects had yet been identified.
The church filed a lawsuit against the city of Holly Springs in April, accusing police officers of disrupting two religious gatherings and violating their right to free speech.
Holly Springs City Attorney Shirley Byers claimed that on 10 April, nearly 40 worshipers were inside the church not practising social distancing and issued the church a violation citation.
The governor has not outright banned church operations in the state, listing them as “essential businesses.”
However, the current stay-at-home order limits the size of indoor gatherings, and churches have been encouraged to hold “drive through” or virtual services.
The lawsuit claimed that the church had only held the indoor service due to “inclement weather” and that members of the congregation were practising social distancing.’
The New York Times reported that Judge Michael P Mills filed an opinion last week outlining the court’s concerns that the church was “proceeding in an excessively reckless and cavalier manner and with insufficient respect for the enormity of the health crisis which the Covid-19 pandemic presents.”
Authorities are offering a reward for tips on the ongoing arson investigation.
“Obviously, we have to ensure that this investigation is done and that it is completed,” Gov Reeves said according to NBC News.
“But if this is in fact what it looks like, I want you to know that we’re going to do everything in our power to find whomever burnt this church down.”
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
